Save the Trust
by iNFAMOUS X
Summary: Tatsumi and his friends set out to make their fortune in the capitol, but when they're separated he soon learns that trust is often prelude to the fall, still there are always exceptions.. "Don't worry Tatsumi. I'm very confident in my intuition I'm sure you'll be able to see both of your friends again really soon."


Save the Trust

A/N: This is a One shot story that I had floating around in my mind. It's not too far of a departure in that it's still a Fate Stay Night Crossover kinda..

Hataraku Aizen Chan and the next chap of Fate Lagoon are still being worked on. I just needed a break with something fresh to get the juices flowing. Got a few once shot ideas actually, but tonight just decided to sit down and bang one out.

Summary: Tatsumi and his friends set out to make their fortune in the capitol, but when they're separated he soon learns that trust is often prelude to the fall, still there are always exceptions.. "Don't worry Tatsumi. I'm very confident in my intuition I'm sure you'll be able to see both of your friends again really soon."

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the anime or intellectual properties that are portrayed or mentioned in this fic with the exception of the various OC's that will come into play.

Fate is owned by Kinoko Nasu

Akame Ga Kiru is owned by Takahiro

Font Key:

"normal speech"

 _'_ _Thought's, and flashbacks'_

 **"** **Techniques: and moments of impact"**

Chapter1: Not What You Think

* * *

"Oh" the bored looking man drawled out while flipping through some papers on a clipboard. "I see, so you're an applicant too huh."

He moved to hand Tatsume a few sheets of paper. "Here, fill out this application and bring it back to me when you're finished. We'll send for you if you're selected."

Tatsume titled his head to the side allowing a few errant locks of his neck length brown hair to flutter behind him. "Uh, wait just a second.. this means I'll be starting out in the Infantry right?"

The mustachioed man behind the desk leaned forward to rest his cheek on a lightly closed fist. He commented dryly. "Yeah obviousl-" He was soon interrupted as the brash young boy whipped out his steel short sword and leveled it in the direction of the desk.

"Like hell, who has time for that! With my skill you should just move me straight to captain!" The boy roared out proudly

The man's eye began to twitch before he rose up and violently slammed his hands into the desk smashing it in half. Tatsume took a step back in surprise as the man brought his forearm out and slammed it into the back of the boy's hand causing him to drop his sword.

The seasoned recruiter continued his spin and grabbed Tatsume by the back of his tan sweater before kicking open the door and hurling him into the street. He dismissively kicked the cheap sword out the door as well and glared at the stunned boy sitting on his butt with his traveling back pack against a wall.

"Listen, you brat, we have more than enough applicants with this depression going on to waste our time with some snotty little country punk. Get lost!" With that he turned and slammed the door.

Tatsume blinked a few times before sighing and muttering to himself. "Hmm, should I cause a scene and make a name for myself?"

He was interrupted in his musing as the sound of footsteps on the cobbler road alerted him to another's presence.

"Hii there !" A jovial voice called out from behind him.

Leaning back the teenage boy's eyes immediately zoomed into the large rack of a cute blonde woman that was barely restrained by the dark cloth serving as a top.

"S-so this is the capitol.." the boy mumbled out semi deliriously. He grinned lecherously as a small puddle of drool began to drop from his lips.

The woman just smiled brightly. "Hmm, judging by your appearance, I'd say you're a country boy come to the capitol to make your fortune and make it big, Am I right?"

Wow!" Tatsume exclaimed. "How did you know all that?!"

The woman shrugged and nodded nosing her eyes. "I could tell instantly, you have the aura of one destined for greatness. But you know the recession's hit everyone pretty hard, if you're trying to get in through the normal channels it's gonna be a long wait before your talent will be recognized."

She paused and opened one yellow eye to focus on him. "I do know of a short cut to getting hired to government services, if you're interested.."

Tatsumi shot to his feet. "Am I ever, you gotta tell me!"

She smirked. "Well then why don't you treat this Onee-san to a meal, and we'll discuss it."

In a small bar on the outskirts of the second district the two found a table and sat down to discuss business.

Tatsumi frowned as he watched his new acquaintance down yet another mug of ale before letting out a very unladylike belch. "Cha, drinking during the day sure is the best." She remarked happily.

Finally the boy could stand it no longer. "Listen; just tell me how to get hired by the government already!"

The older blonde raised an eyebrow before letting her eyelids droop into a sleepy gaze. "Well that's simple." She reached out and poured some more of the amber liquid into a glass, and set down the bottle. "It's having money and connections. I have a guy on the inside who I could put in a word for you to.. If you make it worth my time."

Tastume's green eyes seemed to glow with resolve. "I see, then will this be enough?" He reached down into his pack and brought a large bag of gold coins onto the table with a clink.

The Blonde widened her eyes in shock. "Oh my, how did you come across all that?"

Tatsumi smirked cockily. "Oh I just collected some reward money for slaying a few Danger Beasts, nothing major."

The woman nodded and her smirk widened. "I see, you really are something. I bet you could skip a few ranks and go right to captain.. Don't worry I'll take care of it." She stood up from the table and grabbed the sack of gold.

As she opened the door to leave the bar she looked over her shoulder. "I think this encounter will serve to be a valuable lesson for you kid, don't worry I'll be right back."

Tatsumi smiled with a nod and reached down to take a sip of his iced tea. Behind him the owner of the bar simply shook his head at the boy's foolish naivety.

The afternoon soon turned to evening and evening to night, but there was no sign of Tatsumi's new acquaintance returning. The brown haired boy slumped in his seat with his head on his arm propped against the tabletop and was awakened from his light nap by a hand roughly shaking him.

"Hey, kid I'd like to go home sometime tonight.. how long are you planning on staying there?" asked the annoyed bar owner.

Tatsumi blinked the crust from his eyes and yawned before bowing slightly. "It's fine, I'm actually waiting on someone to come back, I'm sure she'll be here shortly. Can I just have a bit more time?"

The mustachioed owner shook his head and sighed. "Listen kid, sorry to tell you this but that lady scammed you. You could sit there for the next ten years and you won't be seeing her again. She's not coming back. You got ripped off, now take it as a lesson and beat it so I can close up."

" Eh." Tastumi eloquently rebutted. Then his face paled and he rose from the table on sleepy legs screaming in indignation. "That no good, cow titted hag! How dare she.. she swindled me.. I have to go report her!"

"Don't bother." The owner said picking up the discarded glasses from Tatsumi's former table. "It's the fault of the one's who fall for such obvious scams if they end up getting taken advantage of. It's better to take it as a lesson in how the world works kid."

With this he took the last remaining coins from him as payment for his extended stay and kicked Tatsumi out into the street and slammed the door. The brown haired boy growled in frustration and noted that his breath came out in mist. It was a cold night and he had to look around for a secure place to rest as e was now officially broke.

He found a small corner next to a cobblestone wall underneath a burning lantern that kept the spot relatively warm and he dropped off his traveling back and sword before sliding down to rest with his head between his legs.

"Ah well, guess I'm sleeping outside tonight.. not like I have much a choice." He murmured drowsily.

After a few minutes the soft clop of horse hooves on the cobbled road brought Tatsumi from his light sleep. He cracked one eye open and as his vision adjusted he made out the sight of a small carriage that had stopped a few feet away from him.

From the carriage a feminine voice could be heard in debate with several other males.

"Again my lady? Intoned an annoyed voice that clearly spoke of a desire to do nothing other than get out of the rapidly cooling night air and back to the warmth of their mansion.

"You know I can't help it. It's my nature." a melodious and chipper voice responded.

The door of the small red carriage opened and revealed a young girl with her blonde hair slightly curled in small waves. She had bright blue eyes that in the orange lantern light took on a slightly greenish hue.

She placed her hands on her light blue dress and smoothed out the wrinkles as she descended the steps of the carriage and moved to lean over the sleeping Tatsumi.

"If you have nowhere to sleep would you like to stay at my home?" she asked titling her head to the side with her eyes creased in a pleasant manner.

Tatsumi stared at her from his position on the ground and eyed her skeptically. He carefully took in her appearance searching for any signs of deceit or bad intentions but in the end it was pointless. He couldn't read her one way or the other. He just didn't have a knack for reading people very well; if he did he figured he wouldn't have been in this jam in the first place.

All he could see was a cute blonde with a friendly smile wearing a small blue hair ornament, a blue and black dress on top of a white sleeved undershirt, and long white boots.

"I don't have any money." He responded cautiously.

The girl just giggled in response and shrugged. "Well you wouldn't be sleeping here if you did would you?"

Next to her two men in white and black guard uniforms walked up behind her. "Lady Aria can't ignore people like you. You should be grateful and accept her generosity."

As if to sweeten the deal Aria suddenly opened her eyes wide and raised her hand in a pointing motion. "We have cookies! Although they are peanut butter.."

Tatsumi considered this before coming to a decision and grabbing his belongings he rose to his feet. He bowed gratefully and nodded. "Thank you, I'm in your care then. Please treat me well."

Aria smiled and motioned for him to follow her and the two of them got into the carriage and the guard returned to their posts at the front.

In a short time, the wheels of the carriage began to move again and the spot where Tatsumi had previously rested was once again barren.

* * *

Aria's home turned out to be a mansion. It was a massive compound with dozens of rooms and several buildings comprising the property. One building in particular struck Tatsumi as a bit odd. It seemed to be a simple shed with a large metal lock on it but he could feel a strange foreboding sense and just looking at it seemed unpleasant.

From the carriage window he turned his gaze to the finely trimmed bushes and expansive green lawn and the feeling faded as quickly as it came.

Aria chattered on explaining to him the brief layout of her family's property and the main house that they were slowly making their way towards. Tatsumi tried not to let her know that he wasn't paying attention to her and continued to take in the impressive sights before him.

Eventually the carriage came to a stop in front of a large white mansion and Tatsumi and Aria both got out and walked into the house. Several Maids and butlers lined the front entrance hall forming a tunnel of simultaneous bowing servants that Aria nodded to jovially as she walked through.

"Welcome back Lady Aria. And to your guest as well." the chorus of various voices called out as one.

Tatsumi had his pack and Sword taken from him by two sharply dressed butlers and a maid offered to take his shoes.

He followed Aria through another hall and into a spacious room with a massive fireplace and several couches and chairs interspersed throughout. Aria greeted her parents and promptly plopped down into the soft cushion of a brown chair.

A man in brown business suit with grey hair and a kind smile put down a newspaper and motioned to Tatsumi to sit as well. "Oh Aria's brought someone home again."

The rooms other occupant, a beautiful young blonde woman in a white dress titled her head inquisitively and remarked "My, it's simply her habit. I wonder how many this make now.."

"Mom" Aria interrupted pouting.

Tatsumi let his gaze roam over the room and he paused at the sight of two particularly large and powerful looking men in the traditional guard uniforms. They stood at parade rest and quietly observed the carefree family with professional stoicism.

 _'_ _Wow,'_ Tatsumi thought. _'It must be easy for them to be so comfortable letting a complete stranger like me into their house with guards like these around. Those guys are massive.'_

He thanked them for letting him stay and proceeded to tell them his story as a small bowl of peanut butter cookies was placed on the glass table in front of him.

After he was done Aria's father took a sip of tea from a ceramic cup and set it down thoughtfully. "I see, you're looking to gain fame and power in the military in order to save your village."

Tatsumi nodded to this and the man nodded before continuing.

"But you know, while things might be peaceful here, surrounding the country are three separate power all vying for control. You could very well be assigned to fight on the international borders."

Tatsumi made a fist and looked up resolutely. "I'm fully prepared for that. I'll stake my life on the chance to save my village. There are too many people counting on me for me to back down."

The older man clapped his hands. "I see that's some impressive spirit. That's exactly how the young should be."

Aria nodded pushed an errant strand of her hair behind her ear. "I agree that's so cool Tatsumi. You're like sole the bearer of hope for your entire village."

Tatsumi turned to her and shook his head closing his eyes. "Well it's not quite like that. I came with three others. We were all entrusted the task, but we ended up getting separated during a bandit attack."

"They're all strong so I'm not really worried but.. Ieyasu's so bad with directions it'll be a miracle if he even finds where we're supposed to meet.

"So he's like Zoro then" murmured the grey haired father.

Tatsumi didn't hear this and continued. "Sayo is great with her bow, but if Ieyasu's not there to help her out she'll be at a disadvantage in close range.."

Aria's father nodded and stroked his chin. "Alright, then how about this, I happen to have an acquaintance in the military that could put in a good word for you. I'll also have them look for your friends and see if we can turn up any clues."

Really!?" Tatsumi rose to his feet and bowed deeply. "Thank you so much. You're all so kind."

Aria closed her eyes and smiled warmly. "Don't worry Tatsumi. I'm very confident in my intuition I'm sure you'll be able to see both of your friends again really soon."

Shortly after that Tatsumi was shown to a guest room and he slipped under the covers of a massive bed.

"I'm so lucky to have met such a kind family here in the capitol. It's a lot different from how I thought it would be, but the fact that there are people like them gives me hope." he murmured. Gazing out the window into the starry night sky he sent a silent prayer out for his lost friends and hopes for their safe reunion.

* * *

"Oooh let's try that shop next!" Aria exclaimed before running off to procure her next purchase.

Tatsumi blinked in amazement at the massive stack of boxes and bags stacked up in a small wagon. "Wow, her shopping is pretty intense huh? The Sheer amount is ridiculous"

"Che" a large well, built guard in a head sheet responded. "It's not just the young lady, all women are like this. I'm surprised you didn't know."

"Oh really?" Tatsumi responded turning to him. "The girls I knew chose what to wear right away." He couldn't help but to imagine an angry Sayo berating him in that moment.

He was brought from his musing by the guard leaning against the carriage and pointing to the top of the hill. "Look over here. That is the Imperial Capitol's center the palace.

Tatsumi's eyes widened in amazement at the scope of the massive construct and he could just barely make out the imposing silhouette through the slight mist of the morning air.

"Wow, that's amazing! Is that where the emperor is? He's the one who can make all the decisions regarding the empire and it's people right?"

Well not exactly." The man sighed and leaned in closer to Tatsumi while lowering his voice conspiratorially. "There is an emperor, but he's only a child. The one pulling the strings behind the scenes is the Prime Minister Honest.. It's thanks to him that the empire is in the rotten state it is."

Tatsumi was about to respond but the man quickly clamped a black gloved hand over his mouth and looked around discretely. "Not so loud. Anyone caught speaking of such things will lose their heads. On top of that there still this scum running around." He commented pointing to a set of posters declaring wanted bounties for members of the Assassination group Night Raid.

"As the name suggests" he continued. "They're a group of assassins that targets the nobles of the empire and attack primarily under the cover of darkness. It's unlikely that we'll encounter them, but the possibility does exist so make sure you prepare yourself just in case."

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes and nodded. The man then scratched his cheek and pointed to the side. "In the meantime, why don't you see what you can do about that?"

Tatsumi turned and his jaw nearly dropped as he saw Aria skipping back with a carefree grin on her face and behind her two guards were struggling to hold up a massive blue wrapped box that was easily larger than their carriage.

"W-what kind of training is this!?" Tatsumi loudly exclaimed.

* * *

Later that night the lights were off and the curtains open to allow the soft moonlight to filter in through the massive windows of a hallway leading to the study. Aria's mother slowly walked down the silent passage with her eyes glued to a small book.

"Curse you Waldo I will find you." She growled out.

As her bare feet padded silently across the carpet the sharp whistling of displaced air resonated and immediately a slicing sound rang out

"I'm sorry." A soft feminine voice intoned from behind.

* * *

Tatsumi was awakened from his sleep with a jolt at the sense of killing intent permeating the air. He immediately grabbed his sword and pack and ran out into the hallway only to stop at a large window.

To his horror he could see the moon had seemingly turned red and silhouetted with their backs to it were a group of intruders standing on a web of wires. The semitransparent platform reflected the eerie red glow and seemed to sway in the gentle night breeze.

"Night Raid." Tatsumi bit out.

He ran through the hallway with his eyes focused on the event playing out below him. As he ran, the large windows in-between solid wall played out like an animation as he witnessed a small raven haired girl with a katana defeat several armed guards including the man Tatsumi had spoken with earlier in the day during the shopping trip.

He finally made it to the nearest exit before leaping two stories down to the courtyard next to a small wooded area. As he moved swiftly through the dark woods he could hear the sounds of screaming and dying guards.

A strange boom sounding like a gun shot mixed with an energy discharge reverberated out and several small nocturnal birds scattered from their perches into the air.

Eventually he burst out into a clearing and found himself next to the foreboding shed. Shaking off the sickening feeling he got from looking at it he turned to see Aria and a single guard make run into the clearing from another direction.

"Please Miss Aria, get to the shed you'll be safe there." Her guard bravely placed himself in front of Aria and their pursuers.

Tatsumi moved to assist them and get their attention.

Aria called out to him and the guard nodded to him and told him to help him hold back the assailant while he helped get Aria to safety.

Behind him Tatsumi heard a dropping sound and he spun around drawing his blade in a single motion.

A pool of raven black hair seemed to bubble and then rise from the shadows revealing glowing red eyes. The petite girl from earlier stood to her full height and raised her own blade.

Unknowns to either of them Aria muttered a simple phrase and began to study the strange sword with incredible concentration.

Ignoring this, the woman regarded the armed Tatsumi with indifference and simply responded in a robotic tone. "Not a target. Move aside."

Tatsumi grit his teeth and moved to slash her but she vanished in a blur of speed before a weight on his head suddenly forced him to one knee. He looked up to the see his opponent leap off his head and make a beeline straight for Aria and he screamed out to warn her. The girl seemed to be in a trance staring at the assassin's red hilted sword and even the frantic firing of her guard's machine gun was not enough to rouse her from this state.

The black haired assassin weaved around the lanes of fire and she eventually reached the man silencing his fire with a single slash of her blade. She turned to Aria and was about to behead her when Tatsumi finally reached them and slashed at the attacking girl missing her shoulder by centimeters.

She did a one handed handspring back and regarded Tatsumi with annoyance.

This finally snapped Aria from her trance and she turned to her rescuer. "W-what, Tatsumi.. What's going on?"

Tatsumi stepped in front of the confused blonde and leveled his blade in a defensive stance. "It's Night Raid, they've targeted your family. Don't worry I'll protect you with my life."

The assassin narrowed her eyes slightly. "I see so you intend to get in my way? Then I'll simply kill you too."

"Eh Akame, just a moment there.. I couldn't find the old man so we still got some work to do and I kinda owe that kid there a solid." a familiar voice called out.

Tatsumi turned and his eyes widened in confusion.

"You're that cow lady that robbed me blind, what are you doing here!?"

The blonde woman just chuckled and waved to him. "Hey there, how's it going? Listen can you step aside for a moment and let Akame finish off our target? Pretty please?"

Tatsume growled and gripped the handle of his sword harder.

The blonde woman rolled her eyes. "Hey I know you might not want to believe this, but these people you've been staying with aren't what they seem."

Tatsumi titled his head in confusion as the blonde continued. "Ahhh, look I get that you don't really know who to trust at the moment but that girl behind you is really no good. She and her family like to bring in people from the country down on their luck and act like they're good Samaritans, but in reality. They're just a bunch of sadists who get their kicks from torturing people they think are inferior to them."

"That's a lie" screamed Aria. "How dare you accuse us of that. We would never do something so horrible!" She whirled to face Tatsumi. "Tatsumi, remember how we took you in and offered to help you. You don't really believe what she's saying right? You know we'd never do something like that."

The brown haired boy looked deep into Aria's clear blue eyes and he nodded making his decision. "Of course not I know you'd never do something like that Aria. You're a kind girl."

The older blonde woman closed her eyes and waved dismissively. "Oh yes, I'm sure that's the story you want to tell."

She moved to the entrance of the locked shed and reared her foot back. "But, I wonder if you'll still be able to say the same thing after you see this!"

She plowed her booted foot through the doors destroying the lock and blasting the wooden doors to splinters. "Take a good luck kid this is the Imperial Capitols true darkness."

Tatsumi's eyes shot open in surprise. 'W-what the hell is this?!"

All around him were small lanterns, kitchenware, forks, spoons, knives, pans, pots, spatula's hundreds of them, possibly thousands all laying scattered on the floor and counters and even more bizarrely several large white intricately designed circles seemed to be painted into the floor. Rows of bookshelves were set up in a corner and what looked like half completed engines and contraptions were suspended by rusty chains.

"Is this some kind of supply storehouse? Does your family own a restaurant Aria?"

The small blonde girl next to him chuckled nervously. "Well, actually yeah, but um.. this is uh. I can explain this.. you see.." she trailed off.

"Huh? What is all of this?" The Blonde woman inquired in confusion. "Our information clearly said they were keeping their torture chamber in this shed.. what's going on?"

Akame shook her head. "It doesn't matter Leone. Our mission is to kill this girl. I will complete the mission; let the higher up sort out all the details."

"Just a minute" roared Tatsumi as he spun around to face the members of Night Raid. "You're clearly in the wrong here. There's nothing in here like you were expecting. I admit I was feeling kinda queasy looking at the place, but you can all see that Aria and her family are innocent. You made a mistake, are you telling me that you're still going to kill an innocent girl just because you were told to!?"

"Irrelevant" Akame said calmly. "Her guilt or innocence is not our judgment to make. We are the blade that silences the corruption of the capitol. If we have been swung then all that is left is to complete our purpose and cut down the enemy. That is all."

Tatsumi shook his head in horror but Leone spoke up.

"Look our higher ups don't make mistakes like who we're being sent after. These people are definitely our targets. As members of Night Raid we have to believe and trust in their judgment on things. We can't just go around making our own decisions in mid battle. I admit that things are a little irregular here, but in the end there are too many accounts of this families crimes to let it slide. Maybe they just moved their operation to a new location or maybe-"

Tatsumi interrupted her. "Just listen to yourselves; you're talking about killing an innocent family. What the hell is wrong with you!? Have you gotten so addicted to murder that you all have to find some flimsy reason to justify your blood lust!?"

The brown haired man leveled his sword in front of him and widened his stance. "I won't stand by and watch this happen. I'd rather die than become the kind of scum that would do nothing and let something like this happen in front of him. Aria, get as far away as you can, I'll hold then off as long as I'm able."

"Thank you" came a soft whisper at his side.

"Thank you Tatsumi." Aria continued gently pushing his sword down with surprising strength as she moved to stand in front of him. "Thank you for believing in me."

She placed a hand over her heart and bowed her head slightly. "I also want to thank you for protecting me and trying so hard for our sake. Now I want to protect you as well."

"The truth is we really aren't supposed to let others see this but.. Under the circumstances I'll make an exception."

She turned to look over her shoulder at the shocked Tatsumi and winked at him. "What you are about to see here tonight. Don't speak of it to anyone else."

She turned to the confused Leon and Akame and regarded the latter's sword.

"Judging the concept of creation

Hypothesizing the basic structure"

"Murasame, a poisonous blade that can kill with a single cut; its poison has no antidote and its trump card requires one to discard their humanity."

A gasp of surprise came from Akame as her red eyes widened but Aria continued.

"Duplicating the composition material

Imitating the skill of its making"

"However, it's only effective against organic enemies with access to a heart and therefore is weak against mechanical enemies."

"Sympathizing with the experience of its growth

Reproducing the accumulated years

Excelling every manufacturing process "

"As well as armor"

"Trace on"

Prana surged through her Magic circuits with an almost audible hum.

Holding out her arm several small motes of light coalesced in her palm before forming the outline of a blade and seemingly exploding outwards.

What was left in her hand shocked the onlooker to their core.

A perfect copy of the legendary Teigu sat firmly in her grasp. She took a stance that mirrored Akame's own.

Akame glared at her and crouched down low. "You dare sully my Teigu with that cheap imitation!? Enough talk it's time."

"Eliminate" she snarled out and seemingly vanished from view in a small cloud of dust.

To the onlookers surprise Aria did the same.

All around the clearing the clang of steel meeting steel rang out and the small flashes and sparks of orange light preceded small shockwaves that left gouges and craters in the soft grass.

A cut in the ground next to the corpse of Aria's previous guard severed his hand and sent the machine gun clattering over to Tatsumi.

He moved from the shed and made a dive for the machine gun but Leone spotted him and kicked it out of his hands breaking some fingers in the process.

Suddenly both Aria and Akame reappeared in the clearing with their identical blades clashed against one another as black mist seemed to seep from each hilt.

Akame was the first to break the lock and she back flipped backwards to create some distance.

Aria simply turned and leveled the cursed blade in a forty five degree angle downwards and began circling to get an angle.

"Where did you learn this style? How are you fighting like this!?' Akame spat out in disbelief.

Her blonde opponent was silent but beads of sweat could be seen running down her forehead. It was taking a tremendous strain on her prana reserves to continue tracing a weapon like Murasame, but she knew that she had to hold out.

Activating the first two lines of her self hypnosis she calmed her breathing and recited:

 **"** **I am the blade of my will."**

 **"** **To shield what I wish, I will not falter"**

Her Magic circuits flared with power and she felt her body lighten and her speed and strength increased substantially. Her clear blue eyes took on a greenish Aqua color and her presence seemed to increase its weight.

Tatsumi couldn't help but to stare in amazement. She suddenly looked almost regal, like a warrior princess.

"Che" Leone remarked from beside him. "Hey, Akame what's taking so long to off a rich little white girl? Is she really giving you that much trouble with a fake sword? Is that some sort of illusion Teigu?"

Akame didn't take her eyes off of her opponent. "She's just done something to increase her power. "I-"

But she was cut off as Aria showcased her new speed by appearing in front of her and slicing upwards at an angle. Akame's instincts saved her head but she had a strand of her long hair cut off as she barely flipped back out of range, and Aria pursued her with a near perfect imitation of her own relentlessly offensive fighting style. Before the severed strand could hit the ground the two had already traded five attacks back and forth and Akame was now being pushed backwards and rapidly giving ground.

Leone narrowed her eyes and crouched down to interfere when Tatsume gripped his sword with his good hand and weakly slashed at her. She growled in annoyance and dodged the blow before spinning and grabbing the boy by the back of his sweater and slamming him into a table inside the shed sending several dozen pots and pans clattering to the floor.

"Look you little brat, I kinda felt bad for you before, but this the last time I'm going to tell you this, stay down and let us do our job. If you interfere again I will kill you." She bared her sharp canines at him and leveled her burning yellow eyes on his struggling form.

Akame leapt onto the room of the shed but Aria shot up even higher and surprisingly threw the traced Murasame at her assassin opponent.

Akame easily twisted to the side causing the blade to embed into the roof next to her feet then she readied herself to leap off and cut down the now unarmed Aria in mid air.

The young blonde smiled as she fell to the ground. "Trace overload Break!"

Akame's only warning was the vibrating of the traced Teigu embedded behind her before the now unstable projection shattered sending hundreds of shrapnel of the deadly one cut kill blade in all directions.

Tatsumi was safely inside the shed and Aria was falling out of immediate range. The brunt of the massive area attack would hit Akame's back and she knew it.

Already in motion to attack her blonde opponent Akame didn't have time to try to dodge and she prepared herself to be perforated by the shrapnel.

Running up the side of the shed Leone cried out in alarm but knew she wouldn't be in time to save her.

A loud crashing sound rang out and Akame felt a solid force slam into her back sending her sprawling to the floor with a thud. As she regained her beings she turned over to see the Hulking figure of a large armored warrior with a giant red spear crouching on top of her. His armored back had taken the shrapnel and deflected it away into now fading blue particles of light.

A gurgling sound brought their attention to Aria being suspended in the air by thin wires. One of the wired was wrapped around her throat slowly strangling her.

Several feet away an effeminate green haired man manipulated the wires on his fingertips. "Now now, there's no need to struggle little flower, these wires are indestructible, once you've been caught there is no escape."

Suddenly as if to prove him wrong a giant pair of scissors slammed into the ground in front of them severing the wires and obstructing the Assassins view of Aria's descent to the ground.

From behind the scissors out stepped an older blonde woman in a simple white dress and slippers holding Aria in her arms, but what had their attention firmly grasped was the other occupant unconscious on her left shoulder.

"Sheele!" several voices cried out.

The woman ignored them and looked down at her gurgling and coughing daughter. "Aria, you did well. I'm proud of you."

"What the hell have you done to Sheele?!" Growled out Leone as she dropped to join the other four members to face the new arrival.

Still checking over her daughter the woman nonchalantly replied. "Ah, yes your friend was quite the polite assassin apologizing for entering our home uninvited. I do hope you'll tell her it's quite alright and I'd be happy to separate her from her senses any time she so desires."

Seemingly completing her check up and with a soft smile at her daughter that was meekly returned she raised her head and leveled her cold blue eyes that were rapidly beginning to shift to aqua green.

"Now then." An explosion of white and blue energy shot up and tremendous winds kicked up around her swirling and lifting the debris and corpses from Akame's earlier rampage.

When this faded it revealed the blonde woman now standing in a suit of plate armor over a blue and white dress. Her eyes had completely shifted to green and her hair had seemingly braided itself on top of her head. Two blonde bangs hung down and framed her heart shaped face and a stern frown set on her thin lips. A blue ribbon tied to the back of her braided hair gently waved in the night air.

"I believe that is quite enough."

With this statement everyone watching was subject to the most intense presence they'd ever felt. This woman was royalty. There could be no question. Her presence weighed down on the assassins and several of them nearly dropped to a knee from the sheer weight.

"I-Is that some sort of Armored Teigu?!" the green haired man stuttered out.

Tatsume couldn't take his eyes off the woman. If he thought Aria was regal, this redefined the very concept. The woman standing in front of him was.. unlike anything he'd ever seen. Her words seemed to demand compliance from reality itself. She seemed to almost embody the very concept of a king.

 _'_ _She must be some sort of long lost empress from the empire.. there's no way this is a normal person._ ' Thought Tatsumi.

The woman shifted her daughter in her arms and began to move towards the shed.

The members of Night Raid struggled against the oppressive force on them and readied themselves for battle. Leone roared out and charged the armored woman but as soon as the cold green eyes met her own yellow orbs she crashed to a halt digging her feet into the ground.

Around her, various comrades asked what was wrong but she could hear nothing and see nothing but the Lioness in front of her. She was unable to move speak or even breathe and she dropped to her knees as the lack of oxygen made itself known. Eventually she simply stared catatonically until she passed out and only when she slumped to her side and feline traits receded did the woman relent her cool gaze and continue forwards.

"W-what the hell just happened! Did she use some kind of mental attack what was that!?" questioned the green haired man but his armored companion only grunted and readied his spear. Akame beat him to the punch though as she charged forwards and slashed at their opponent with a battle cry of "Eliminate!".

The armored blonde simply caught the cursed blade in two fingers. "Disappointing, Your sword is clouded by fear. All I can sense from you is layers and layers of misplaced hatred and fear."

She flicked her wrist and Akame was forced to let go and sent tumbling along the ground to slam into a tree on the other side of the clearing with a crunch.

Momentarily observing the blade angrily vibrating in her armored hand she nonchalantly snapped it in half causing a small expulsion of blackened energy. "A blade with no resolve is simply a crutch. If you wish to learn to walk forwards you must cast it aside and be willing to risk falling."

She dropped the pieces of the broken Teigu to the ground and moved on.

The green haired man was nearly hysterical by now. "D-did she just destroy Muramase.. what the hell is she!?"

His remaining comrade raised his spear and thrust if forwards in an attempt to skewer her. The burst of air this caused kicked up a small cloud of dust and as it faded it showed the woman had somehow instantaneously traveled behind him. She was still carrying her daughter and Sheele and she set her gaze on Tatsumi.

Behind her the hulking armored giant groaned out and parts of his armor began to fall off as if sliced apart. Eventually his helmet split in two and the man's long pompadour of hair popped back up before unraveling and he collapsed to his knees with his eyes wide and rolled up into his head so that only the whites could be seen. He then face planted onto the grassy ground with a small crunch signifying he'd probably broken his nose.

The green haired man was frozen in disbelief. "Oi Bulat, this isn't funny man.. this is not the time for a joke, get up!"

The regal blonde ignored him and she continued on to the shed entrance. "Tatsumi, take Aria with you and head back to the house. My husband and I will be there to join you shortly."

Tatsumi wanted to argue and request to stay and fight but he found that even a simple request like this was difficult to do anything but obey. This woman had some unnatural charisma and he could do naught but comply with her command.

She set Aria down on her feet and Tatsumi moved up behind her to help steady her. Aria smiled gratefully and turned to her mother as they made their way back into the woods. "Pease be safe mother."

"Hey, Mine any time now!" the green haired man screamed out. "Some support fire would be really great right about now."

In response to this a blast of energy shot out and slammed into the man's leg dropping him to the floor with a screech.

"Argh, what the hell are you doing, you missed!?"

Another shot rang out this one much closer and pierced the arm holding his thread spool.

"No." a voice called out from on top of a tree branch.

The unconscious body of a young petite pink haired girl dropped unceremoniously to the grassy floor and a silver grey haired man in a brown business suit dropped down holding the Teigu Pumpkin in his armpit.

He lifted the butt of the rifle and slammed it down into the green haired man's head

"I didn't."

* * *

Altogether the five Assassins of Night raid were beaten in under a minute. The injured and unconscious but alive assassins were placed in a large cage with a strong suppression field and multiple layers of seals around them. Their various Teigu had been separated from them and locked up in a small vault. Peace was slowly restored to the estate. The dead and injured guards were gathered up and Arias's parents were scurrying around trying to save those they could.

"Aria quickly, get me some hot water and a towel." The small girl quickly ran off as fast as she could to follow her father's orders.

"Tatsumi I need you to hold that splint in place while I wrap it.

Saber, are they rejecting the effects of Avalon?"

The small blonde woman now wearing a blue and white dress shook her head. "No Shirou, It seems that they are regenerating well. My continued proximity is a bit troublesome but so far the effects are progressing along."

Shirou nodded and finished his rushed splint job.

"Emiya-sama" a meek voice called out.

Shirou and Saber turned their attention to one of the maids. The petite woman bowed her head. "The young lady's guard wishes to speak with you before his final moment. We can do nothing to save him from the poison.."

Shirou and Saber turned to Tstsumi and Aria and motioned for them to follow.

They made their way to another room with the guard that Tatsumi had spoken to earlier writhing in pain on a blood soaked bed. He spasmed and convulsed and was clearly trying to hold on as long as he could.

"Gaurry, I'm here. What did you want to tell me?" Shirou said solemnly.

The man turned his weak gaze to his employer and then to Aria and nodded. "Thank goodness the young Miss is alright. I-" he coughed uncontrollably inadvertently getting a splotch of blood on Shirou's business suit. The silver haired man paid it no mind and waited for his companion to continue.

Gaurry forced himself under control. "When I first came here you told me you didn't care about my past, only my future. The truth is.. I wasn't a good man. A lifetime of living in this terrible place jaded me and I learned to live by doing whatever I had to. Back then I would have taken on any job as long as the money was right. I knew those I protected were just as bad as the scum I was guarding them from, but I didn't care."

He had to pause as he hacked up even more of his internals but he managed to continue after a brief pause. "I just didn't think there was anyone like you all out there. I thought that deep down everyone was corrupt and self-serving. And then.. I met you. As I watched you and miss Saber raising your daughter.. For the first time I could be proud of my work. I truly wanted to protect you all and I.. I've been honored to be here among you for so long."

"I only wish I could be there to walk with you for a bit longer. I wanted to see the world that I know you all will one day create.. but.."

"Thank you.. most of my life was that of a selfish and rotten thug. But at least now.."

He began to fade and the light in his eyes dimmed as the black tattoo of Muramase's curse crept up his face completely. "I can die a good man."

And with that Gaurry died.

Aria let out a wail of sadness and tried to turn away but Saber gently held her head and nudged her back around.

"Don't look away." Her father said in a steely tone. "To do so would spit on his sacrifice. be thankful that he gave his life to try to protect you. Honor him by witnessing it through to the end."

"Yes papa" she said weakly.

Tatsumi hadn't known Gaurry for long but after witnessing that he knew that a good man had been lost today.

"Damn Night Raid, do they always spread so much misery and pain? What was the point of this, why did Gaurry-san have to die tonight!"

Shirou closed his eyes and shook his head. "There was no point. Tonight was completely meaningless slaughter and murder."

Tatsumi slammed his fist into his hand. "Why did you spare them? We should have killed them all after what they did!"

The silver haired man sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "Perhaps, the members of Night Raid may very well deserve to die for what they've done tonight. Their actions tonight were certainly cruel and unnecessary But it's not true that Night Raid itself is unnecessary."

Shirou gestured out the window. "It's accurate that the Capitol is corrupt, and there are those that need to be removed in order for peace and safety to come. Some people need to be silenced for the good of all, but it doesn't make murder right."

Saber nodded with a frown. "Assassins have always been an unfortunate necessity in all times and places. Though I'm loathe to admit it, their work is often times required in order to bring about peace or reform."

Shirou motioned to Gaurry's corpse. "Remember this well Tatsumi, vengeance is never just. Sometimes the need and desire is so strong we cannot resist its pull. Some crimes must be punished and retribution obtained, but never delude yourself into thinking that your actions are somehow permissible or acceptable because of something as ambiguous as revenge."

"This brings us to an interesting question. Night Raid is currently powerless. Disarmed, injured, and in captivity, they are no threat to anyone as they are now. And thus, do we have the right to end their lives?"

"Tatsumi blinked a few times then shook his head. "No, I guess not."

"Oh?" inquired Saber. "Then what price shall be paid for the life of Gaurry? Who's to say they will not rise again to take vengeance on us at a later date and will be far better prepared next time? Should we not end that threat now, while it is still negligible?"

Tatsume turned to Aria and then Shirou and looked down in confusion. "I- I don't understand what answer you want from me."

Shirou shook his head. "That's the point. The answer is not a simple one. It takes wisdom and objectivity to interpret, but in the end we just don't know."

"If ever you start to believe that due to a cause or ideal that taking another's life is easily acceptable, you have started down a dangerous and treacherous path that once traveled, is very difficult to return from."

Tatsumi nodded and lowered his head in thought.

"As for you and Aria, you both should retire to bed. You will have a long day tomorrow. The military acquaintance I spoke of should be arriving in a few days but in the meantime one of Aria's friends should be instrumental in helping you locate your friends."

Tatsumi and Aria nodded and said their goodnights and returned with a small detail of guards to their rooms.

Shirou and Saber stood still watching as the body of Gaurry was taken out. Neither of them was unaware of the set of eyes silently gazing at them from the dark corners of the room. The large cell holding the occupants had been covertly transported into the room to witness the results of their actions. "I wanted you to see the kind of man you killed. There's been enough bloodshed tonight. My wife and I will sleep on it and make a decision in the morning as to how to deal with you all."

As he turned to leave Shirou made one last comment in passing. "I understand your position and to an extent I support your cause, however there was always one glaring reason that we did not choose to join or support Night Raid when the opportunity arose."

"You are all under the command of the Revolutionary Army. Your orders come from their leadership. Since the dawn of time assassins have always been used to eliminate the enemies of whatever group might be employing them at the time. You were not sent here to kill some corrupt and evil nobles as you may have been told. You were sent to act as muscle for some arrogant military officer who was snubbed by my refusal of support."

"For this reason, for this asinine and petty reason a good friend of mine has lost his life."

"I hope you will think on this as you enjoy our hospitality." With a wave of his hand a blue glowing magic circle spun to life underneath the cell and once again it was transported to the dark workshop.

Shirou lowered his head and leaned on the door post with a grimace. "We're Servant's I could have saved him. If only I knew where he was I could have easily saved him.."

Saber wrapped her arms around her husband's torso and pressed her bosom against his back. "You can't save everyone Shirou."

"I know." He muttered. "But it's not wrong to try."

Saber nuzzled the back of his neck gently. "No, it's a beautiful dream."

He smiled looking up and holding her small hand in his own tan and calloused one, he fingered her simple silver wedding band. "We should finish up. There's still a lot of work to be done and we'll still need to get some sleep for tomorrow."

"Yes." She agreed. "Exhaustion is the enemy."

* * *

Morning came early for Tatsume, despite the adrenaline dump, he just couldn't stay in bed with his thoughts swimming as they did. He was surprised to find the rest of the family up as well even as the morning had only begun to warm up.

As he entered the kitchen he found Aria's mother sitting at the table braiding her daughter's hair. Aria had a look of annoyed impatience on her face. "Moh I don't see why I have to do this every time we have company. I have curly hair so what? I don't mind it and anyone who doesn't like me because of it, well I'm not interested in being their friend anyway.. Oh, Tatsume you're up? Tell Momma that I don't need this stupid hairstyling I look fine without it right?"

"Of course," Tatsumi quickly agreed. "I think you look great either way."

"Eh." Aria blinked and blushed slightly. "T-that wasn't what I meant.."

Her mother had an amused smile on her face. "Oh interesting, are you perhaps looking to court my dear Aria Tatsume?"

"Mommma!" Aria cried out red faced. "Stop embarrassing me."

Just then Shirou walked in the room with a man in a black and white uniform. "I see." said the new man. "So you're saying you think it was Night Raid?"

Shirou titled his head to the side in consideration. "Well, I can't be sure. I didn't really get a good look at them, thankfully our guards seemed to have scared them off before too long and the damage was minimal, but from what we can tell it was likely them."

The man sighed and wrote down some notes. "Mm that's troublesome. They've been really hitting us hard for the last few months. Captain Ogre's had it up to here with the whole situation. He's starting to take it out on us now."

Saber frowned slightly finally finishing Aria's braid. "Ah Ogre-san.. that man is rather, unsavory."

The imperial officer next to Shirou just cringed and covertly nodded in agreement. "In any case, thanks for the report Emiya-san, we'll do our best to get to the bottom of it. If it is Night Riad, we'll have to add this to their long list of crimes, but rest assured we will catch them soon."

Shirou nodded and saw his guest out as Tatsumi motioned to Saber once they were out of earshot.

"What actually happened with Night Raid? Did you kill them?"

Saber shook her head. "No, we decided to let them return with their wounded to their base; however as payment we kept possession of the Teigu that were not destroyed and wiped their minds of specific information. I can't say how effective the memory manipulation will be though, so I wouldn't count on it. It's likely we will hear from them again at some point."

Tatsumi grit his teeth and stared out the window. But Saber continued. "For this and other reasons you and Aria must both grow much stronger. I am willing to train you if you wish."

Standing behind her mother he could see a pale faced Aria frantically making x formations with her arms and mouthing no while shaking her head side to side.

Thinking back to her incredible performance last night Tatsumi ignored this and nodded his head. "Thank you very much, I'd be honored to learn under you Mrs. Emiya."

He could see Aria facepalm herself before making a cross from her forehead, chest, and shoulders, then kissing the fingers.

Either unaware or ignoring this Saber merely smiled at Tatsume and nodded. "Very well, I will warn you I am a harsh instructor. I will accept nothing less than your full potential."

Tatsume was about to respond to this when a call from a maid informed Aria of her friend's arrival.

Aria grinned and pulled on Tatsume's arm. "Oh Tatsume, come with me. I want you to meet my friend. She said she can help us out with finding your friends."

As Tatsume moved to follow Aria a white blur shot into the kitchen and up into Saber's lap.

She smiled warmly. "Oh hello Coro-kun, have you been a good boy?'" The plump puppy like creature wagged its small tail and panted with his tongue out happily. Saber gently scratched behind his ears and the thing seemed to melt in her lap.

Just then a slender light brown haired girl a few years older than Tatsume and Aria's age wearing the traditional silver and black armored uniform for the imperial police burst through the door swiveling her head around causing her long ponytail to sway behind her until she caught sight of her blonde friend.

"Ah Aria, it's so good to see you! Are you all right? When I heard Night Raid attacked you I wanted to come right away, but I was out on assignment and only recently got back in. Are you feeling ok?"

Aria grinned and held up her arm to grip he flexing bicep. "Of course, as if some slimy assassins could get the better of Emiya Aria." Then she and the Brunet girl both got a gleam in their eye and they reached up with both hands to do a massive high five while simultaneously calling out "Justice Smash!"

As they came down the girl turned her head and caught sight of a sweatdropping Tatsumi.

"Oh, hi there, you must be Tatsumi-san. I'm Seryu Ubiquitous of the Imperial Police, a soldier for justice."

She held out her hand for Tatsumi to shake and smiled. "Aria told me about your friends. I looked into it but so far we haven't found any leads yet. But I'll definitely help if I can." Tatsume took her hand and shook it thankfully. "That's great. I really appreciate it. We all had a dream to come to the capitol and make enough money to save our village, but things just started going wrong right and left."

Seryu frowned slightly. "I see, well I'm sure Aria's told you by now, but the capitol isn't everything it's promised to be to outsiders. You got really lucky that you met Aria when you did. You could just as easily have had a horrible fate befall you. This place is really dangerous and it's gonna be tough to make the kind of life you're thinking of here. But if you stick with Emiya-sama I think you'll be fine."

As if summoned Shirou returned from seeing the first Police officer out and went to sit down and eat his cooling breakfast. Seryu, upon seeing him shot at him and enveloped him in a massive hug. "Shirou-sensei, I missed you."

The man chuckled in his white collared shirt and black slacks. "As did I how are things on the force going?"

Seryu suddenly frowned. "Well about that.. Captain Ogre is getting more blatant about his oversteps. He's been taking bribes from a corrupt merchant named Gamal. And just recently he's started sentencing innocent men to death and then selling their widowed wives into sex trafficking. We all know it, but there's not much we can do.. to be honest.. I've actually been thinking about maybe quitting." She mumbled at the end.

Shirou nodded understandingly. "That's a tough spot to be in for sure. But I don't know if giving up is the right answer. The police force needs people like you on the front line who are willing to do the right thing when the time comes."

Seryu frowned. "But, if I refuse orders it'll only get me and the others with me in trouble and then they'll just send in other officers that will do it."

Shirou shook his head. "You know that if that happens I will definitely come rescue you even if I have to tear the Imperial police apart in disguise. If you don't want to be a Police Officer anymore that fine. But I don't want you quitting out of fear or frustration. Cowards so that and I know that's not you."

Seryu smiled softly and blushed at the praise. She then held her head up proudly and nodded. "You're right sensei, you always know what to say when I need encouragement.

Shirou nodded and then poked at his rubberlike eggs with a fork. "Erm, Saber-chan you eh.. you cooked the eggs this morning huh"

"Yes" She remarked coolly her green eyes narrowing and the Biological Teigu in her lap froze and began to sweat slightly. "Do you find them unsatisfactory Shirou?"

Sensing danger Shirou quickly shook his head and shoveled half the plate into his mouth. "Oh no, they're delicious you've really outdone yourself this time dear."

With that the situation defused Seryu turned to Aria and gave her a salute. Oh I checked up on the status of our project and everything went off without a hitch. Everything's been delivered and the new public transportation system is in progress. We're interviewing possible drivers and guards as we speak.

"Huh?" Tatsumi blinked. "Um what project is that?"

Aria just giggled. "Don't you remember us going shopping yesterday? You didn't think I was actually getting all of that stuff for me did you? Where would I even put it all? Those were supplies and gifts for a special project Seryu and I run for a variety of shelters."

Tatsumi's eyes widened in amazement "wow, that's so kind of you. I actually just figured you were a big shopper."

Aria rolled here eyes. "Well, I have been known to splurge. But I like to think I have some restraint. In any case you remember that really big one at the end? Well that was actually a high end prototype carriage that seats up to 10 people at a time. One of the Emiya company's ventures is in public transportation. We already have one that goes to our restaurant five times a day."

Tatsumi was amazed. "I had no idea. That makes a lot more sense now. But why have Seryu deliver it and not just distribute it yourself?"

Aria sighed. "It has to be done carefully. There was a lot of valuable stuff in there and if we had just given it away publically it would have been 'confiscated' " she said making air quotes with her fingers.

Seryu continued. "By having it done by a few of us covertly everything is off the record and the shelters can distribute it bit by bit and avoid suspicion."

"It kind of sucks though that you two don't get credit for it. I'm sure everyone out there would love to thank you if they knew you had gone through so much effort. Tatsume commented.

But Aria just shrugged. "Nah, I don't really mind. This way I'm like a secret Santa."

"Oooh" Seryu said eyes gleaming. "Coro can be Rudolf!"

"Coro with your nose so bright.." Seryu sang out.

"Won't you please not eat everyone in sight?" Shirou muttered gaining a chuckle from Saber and Aria and a growl from said Teigu.

Tatsume beamed and as he watched the family and friends interact he couldn't help but to think of his own friends.

 _Sayo, Ieyasu I know you guys are somewhere out there, we'll definitely meet up again, but for now don't worry about me I've found some really amazing people. I can't wait to introduce you to everyone; I think you'd really like them._

 _Until then stay strong and please know that you'll be in my thoughts and prayers until we meet again.._

* * *

In the cold and fridgid North a final stand was being set. The icy capitol was finishing it's preparations for the siege defense. Rumors of the legendary General Esdeath and her nigh invincible army's approach had reached the capitol and the council had taken no chances. They'd quickly given full martial power to the current king and general of the Northern Defense, the brilliant and undefeated tactician and warrior Numa Seika.

The mighty leader currently found himself in a rather unusual position.

Before him bound tightly in ropes and kneeling on the ground with two guards at either side was a young boy. He had a tan coat and tattered white headband keeping his unruly brown mop from spilling out onto his forehead.

Ieyasu stood defiant before Numa Seika. "I'm trying to find my way to the Imperial Capitol to meet up with my two friends I'm not gonna end up as some prisoner in your ice box!" he roared.

Numa palmed his face in irritation. "This little brat's not going to be worth much as a hostage. I doubt General Esdeath will care much for a runt like him. Throw him in the mess hall. He can peel potatoes or something."

Ieyasu's ranting as he was drug away was overpowered out by the beating drums signifying the scouts return. Numa rose from his throne with a grim expression. Soon battle would be upon them and he would have to find a way to route what had been up to this point an unstoppable foe.

Even still, if the filthy Empire thought they could just march into the north and crush them as effortlessly as they had their other campaigns, they would be in for some rude surprises.

"Either way it seems." He smirked. "Winter is coming."

 _All people must one day turn to ash_

 _So to must nations fall to ruin_

 _Despite the wealth and prosperity of the capitol it has become mired in corruption._

 _The pompous and the vile run rampant throughout the city._

 _To change this, the cycle must be broken. Hatred begets hatred, but love cannot rout a sword._

 _To change the world, one must reach the hearts of the people to find allies. To gain one must always be willing to risk._

 _To stand one must be willing to fall, and to gain allies one must be willing to trust._

* * *

AN.

XXX SPOILER ALERT XXXXX

If you haven't read the chapter before this it gives away the main twist of the fic.

* * *

So this all kinda spawned from the idea of Aria actually being who she seemed. I've never really seen that done. In fact, I've never really seen a fic with her as a main heroine. She's not even an option on the character select.

I wanted to create a fic that took all of the things she said and make people believe that they knew what to expect from the outcome, but then totally surprise them at the end by having it all be true all along. It's like a double deception. That's the meaning of the chapter title, not what you think. It wasn't intended for Tatsumi, it was intended for the readers.

The Fanfic title Save the Trust was an antonym of Kill the "whatever".. that the series usually uses.

I'm sure a few readers will be scratching their heads trying to figure out how Shirou and Saber got into the Akame ga Kiru world and how they ended up with Aria. Well, that's a prologue in and of itself. Shirou and Saber are Aria's parent in this fic and whether biological or adopted is up for you to interpret.

I'll also say that I had a good portion of this written before I ever started my GATE thus we fought there fic so I'm simply finishing it up and posting it to check it off my list. I have a few half written one shots that I'm probably going to finish up at some point.

Finally, this is designed and was intended to be a one shot. It has the potential to be an epic. Obviously the concept could be expanded on, but for the sake of what it was intended to be. It's done.

If anyone would like to take the concept and expand on it, just let me know, give credit where it's due and feel free to try your hand.

Thanks for reading Save the Trust. If you like the story or the idea please let me know. I haven't seen anyone doing anything like this with the characters yet.

Reviews are always appreciated.


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